The Identity Politics “Point System” Explained – Part 2

Last week in this space, I detailed what I call the “Identity Politics Point System” of the political left, and how the latitude that leftist operatives have with regard to incendiary rhetoric is predicated upon their standing as members of favored subgroups within the Democratic Party. For example, ethnic minorities, celebrities, and self-identified LGBTQs are awarded more “points” under this system than, say, your average white liberal.

Thus, inflammatory and divisive speech – even if it borders on the illegal – is tolerated and even encouraged on the part of such individuals, and why their rhetoric is often far more “over the top” than one might expect from your average white liberal.

The “clean and articulate” Barack Obama was an exception to this rule, since he was positioned to be the first nonwhite American president and had to be sold to the entirety of the American electorate, not just liberal voters and hardcore leftists. Obama said many things that were divisive (such as his remark that Cambridge, Massachusetts police “acted stupidly” when they arrested his friend, prominent black Harvard professor Henry Louis Gates Jr. in 2009), but they were always couched in Obama’s smarmy, measured tones.

For the record, Obama rates two Identity Points: One for being a dedicated lefty, and one for being a black man.

Someone like Kanye West also represents an exception, but for vastly different reasons. West had been a liberal celebrity mouthpiece for a long time; in the 2005 aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, West accused President George W. Bush of not caring about the suffering of New Orleans’ blacks. In recent months, however, the black rap artist has repeatedly come under fire from the left for his support of President Trump.

Now, under normal circumstances, Kanye would rate a solid three Identity Points: One point for being a dedicated lefty (it is assumed that all blacks are dedicated lefties until they demonstrate otherwise), one for being black, and an extra one for being a celebrity.

In supporting the president, however, Kanye has effectively forfeited his qualifications. In addition to which, he receives minus one point for being a turncoat liberal, minus one point for being a turncoat black man, and another minus one point for being a turncoat celebrity. So rather than bottoming out at zero, this leaves poor Kanye at a chilling negative three rating for Identity Points!

As a very apropos case in point: In this instance, the CNN panel – mostly black, and all liberal – were able to say things about a black man that others could never get away with, for no other reason than they met the requisite for Identity Points.

I could generate graphs and tables which uncannily bear out how closely the Identity Points scale squares with the potency of rhetoric emanating from leftist operatives, but I’m sure most readers will get the point, particularly if they refer to last week’s column. The metrics I’ve described do play out quite accurately if one examines the aggregate behavior of those on the left over the years on a case-by-case basis respecting the phenomenon of incendiary political speech.

This is all singularly disgusting, of course, but there does seem to be a silver lining. In their arrogance, fear and desperation, the left does seem to have overplayed its hand.

Some may be familiar with the #WalkAway movement. This is a recent “video campaign movement dedicated to sharing the stories of people who can no longer accept the current ideology of liberalism and what the Democratic Party has become.” This is significant because the overall intractability and perfunctory adherence to top-down leftist doctrine liberals have displayed over the years suggested that many were evolving into the sort who would fink on their politically noncompliant family members and neighbors when the regime police came around to cart them off to concentration camps. The fact that the #WalkAway movement has come into being tends to indicate that this may not be the case.

While these developments may be as encouraging as Americans’ ongoing resistance to Beltway “business as usual” politics and widespread support for President Trump, it would behoove us to take heed of those observers and pundits who admonish us to remain vigilant and proactive, particularly as regards the upcoming midterm election. The political left has been at this game for a very long time, and they will not be extricated from the positions of influence in which they have insinuated themselves quickly or easily.

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